Mazda3 TCR Racecar Debuts

We are big motorsport fans here at Double Apex, and we love us a racecar. Earlier today a new pukka machine was unveiled by Mazda, not usually a brand associated with racing and motorsport, not in SA anyway. The Mazda3 TCR racecar was created to be eligible for 36 TCR series around the world. It will make its competition debut in the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series in the United States.

US-bred

The Mazda3 TCR racecar was conceived by Mazda North America and the TCR machine is the latest addition to its motorsport program. Mazda’s on-track activities in the US include endurance racing and the extremely popular MX-5 Cup. Mazda’s press blurb says that the “popularity of Mazdas and Mazda powered cars in American amateur motorsport means that in the United States more Mazdas are raced on any given weekend than any other manufacturer.”

The Mazda3 TCR racecar packs a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that develops 260 kW, in keeping with TCR rules. The motor is matched to a six-speed paddle-shift competition transmission. The car was developed by Long Road Racing, constructors of the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car. Good news, if you are reading this in the US or in a country that offers a TCR class, is that the Mazda3 TCR racecar will be available for privateers to purchases and race.

In their own words

Commenting on the launch of the Mazda3 TCR, Masahiro Moro, Mazda North American operations chairman and CEO said: “TCR represents a great opportunity for us to showcase the all-new Mazda3 and provide our customers with another great opportunity to race a Mazda in high-level motorsport. Some of our most important successes in IMSA and SRO TC Americas have been thanks to dedicated customers who choose to race with Mazda and we hope the next generation of Mazda racers will see the potential of the Mazda3 TCR”.

John Doonan, director Mazda Motorsports said: “The Mazda3 TCR features the outstanding design and engineering that Mazda is known for, and because of that, it’s a fantastic foundation for our new TCR car. We have looked forward to returning to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series for several years, and everyone at Mazda is very excited that we will do just that in 2020.”